Feds ask for 12-year prison term for ex-Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi

Associated PressFormer Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi arrives at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse during his federal corruption trial.

By DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer

BOSTON — Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi to 12½ years in prison on corruption charges.

DiMasi was convicted in June on charges he used his clout as speaker to steer two lucrative state contracts to a software firm in exchange for payments.

In a sentencing memo filed with U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf on Wednesday, prosecutors say DiMasi deserves the sentence because he was an elected public official with significant authority whose offenses involved multiple bribe payments.

"Although DiMasi continues to deny his guilt, he stands convicted by a jury of essentially trading the powers of his public office for the private gain of himself and his close friends and cronies," prosecutors said in their memo.

Prosecutors are seeking a 10-year sentence for co-defendant Richard McDonough, a lobbyist who was a close friend of DiMasi.

DiMasi and McDonough are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8. Their lawyers are due to file their sentencing recommendations Friday. DiMasi's attorney, Thomas Kiley, declined to comment on the government's sentencing recommendation.

DiMasi, a Democrat who resigned in January 2009, was convicted of conspiracy, extortion and theft of honest services by fraud. He was the third consecutive House Speaker in Massachusetts to leave office under an ethics cloud.

Prosecutors said DiMasi used his position to assure that the firm, Cognos, received the software contracts. In exchange, prosecutors said, DiMasi received $65,000 in payments funneled through a law associate.

Defense attorneys said the payments were legitimate and were not made in exchange for official actions by DiMasi.